236 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



Council of the Sultan, to whom my letter of the 24th, 

 addressed to Eeschid Pasha, had already been commu- 

 nicated. These communications produced the effect 

 which I had hoped. It was proved, upon the one 

 hand, that there was no reason for expecting any 

 fresh explanations from the Viceroy, and, upon the 

 other, that Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe had received 

 no instructions from his Government, which has 

 nevertheless been in possession of Mohammed Said's 

 determination for the last three months. It was 

 also proved, by my latest correspondence with Egypt, 

 that Mr. Bruce had not, up to the 17th, made any 

 official representation, despite the intimation to the 

 contrary of the English Ambassador. 



" I was informed that Lord Stratford de Eedcliffe 

 would strongly urge the Grand Vizier to await before 

 replying conclusively to the Viceroy the instructions 

 which he had applied for to London. The last phrase in 

 his note of the 27th, referring to i personal independ- 

 ence having to give way to official eventualities/ gave 

 me to understand that his opposition would not be so 

 easily disposed of. He knows that his position is 

 threatened in England, and that several members of 

 his Government are far from favourable to him. If 

 he does not go so far as to believe that the absence of 

 instructions is a trap set for him, he is not at all 

 events inclined to allow an act to be accomplished 

 which he thinks would be unfavourably received in 

 England. Moreover, in view of the disasters which 



